Podcast Archives - The Children's Hour

In Composers, we explore how songs are created by people from long ago and today. We meet Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven, and learn how their lives shaped their sounds. We also hear from Sesame Street, and legendary Broadway composer Bill Sherman about writing catchy tunes with meaning. Listeners discover that anyone can start with a small idea and build a powerful piece of music.

It’s Halloween time on The Children’s Hour! In this episode, we celebrate pumpkins, jack-o’-lanterns, costumes, and trick-or-treating. Our Kids Crew shares their own traditions, from trunk-or-treat clothing drives to festive parades in northern New Mexico. We’ll find out why some houses put teal pumpkins outside their doors, and learn how this helps kids with food allergies have a safe and fun holiday.

Trees have birthdays too, and scientists find out when they are by studying tree rings. This episode comes with a learning guide.

The Kids Crew discover the animals living right outside our doors. From prairie dogs, coyotes, and roadrunners in New Mexico to monkeys in Thailand, stray dogs in India, koalas in Australia, and wildlife in Brazil, we learn how animals adapt to city life. With expert guest Cooper Freeman and research from junior producer Thaniel Lentz, we explore the challenges and joys of living alongside wild creatures everywhere.

This time on Children’s Hour get blown away with us as we learn all about balloons. We begin with the history of hot air balloons, and we end up in the air on a real balloon. Then we explore latex balloon art and clothing with the team at Airigami. Plus, find out what happens when helium balloons get released into nature. And, that mysterious object you might see floating around in the middle of the day in the skies above you? That might be a weather balloon! All of this is mixed with great music!

We explore renewable energy with experts in solar, wind, geothermal, and hydro power. The Kids Crew ask big questions about how renewable energy works, why it’s cleaner than fossil fuels, and what the future of energy could look like. With guests Rebecca “Puck” Stair, Jim DesJardins, and Dr. Sherri Kelly, we learn how kids can be part of building a cleaner, brighter tomorrow.

In this episode of The Children’s Hour, Grammy-winning oud player Rahim AlHaj shares his story of leaving Iraq as a refugee and finding a new home in New Mexico. Listeners will discover the oud, a 5,000-year-old string instrument, and learn about the challenges and strengths that refugees bring to their communities. The Kids Crew also talk about Malala Yousafzai and what it means to welcome strangers with kindness and compassion.

On this episode of The Children’s Hour, junior producer and intern Thaniel Lentz takes us through the incredible history and science of animation. From early tools like the zoetrope and flipbooks to famous characters like Felix the Cat and Mickey Mouse, we learn how still pictures came to life.

On this episode of The Children’s Hour, we travel to Mars with planetary volcanologist Dr. Larry Crumpler. He shares the secrets of the Red Planet — from its rusty surface and giant volcanoes to its two tiny moons and ancient signs of water. We learn how rovers explore, search for life, and even make oxygen, plus what it might take to send humans there. This is a fascinating journey to a world both like and unlike our own.

What is journalism, and why does it matter? On this episode of The Children’s Hour, we learn what journalism is and how journalists help us understand the world around us. We meet trailblazing reporters, hear from our Kids Crew, and talk with Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Maria Hinojosa. She shares what it means to be a good journalist, why she started her career, and how young people can begin telling important stories.

This time on The Children’s Hour, the Kids Crew does a deep dive to learn about birthday traditions from around the world. Here in the United States, many kids can expect a birthday cake, candles, presents, and maybe even a party. But in some regions, like where The Children’s Hour is in the Southwest, we have even more to add to a birthday celebration.

This time on The Children’s Hour, we hear from kids who participated in summertime outdoor learning programs with Environmental Education of New Mexico about the importance of being outside to learn new things.

Join our Kids Crew in a conversation with the beloved children's authors, Goosebump's author RL Stine and Marc Brown, the author and illustrator of the Arthur books and TV show. We discover their secrets to creating some of the most widely read kids' books of all time. Get reading with The Children's Hour!

This time on The Children's Hour we learn about the concept of querencia: the feeling of "home" in a place, and with our communities. Using poetry, imagery, history, music and sharing, we explore the elements of home.

This time on The Children’s Hour, we immerse ourselves in good vibes with a summer fun soundtrack. We've got brand new Kindie music and a classic Bill Harley story about the terror of the high dive and power of unrequited love. Be uplifted with us!

This time on The Children's Hour we learn about two of the most endangered big wild cats: tigers and snow leopards.

Astronomy begins at home, just looking up and seeing what we see. The Kids Crew meet with Professor Raman Prinja, Head of Astronomy and Physics at University College in London. Professor Prinja’s new book Wonders of the Night Sky details the many celestial sights we can see just by looking up at the sky in our own backyards. Get out of this world with us in a conversation on astrophysics with the Kids Crew.

This time on The Children’s Hour, we have a show on Patriotism & Leadership. What does it mean to be patriotic, according to some bilingual 8th graders at Albuquerque’s Washington Middle School?

Who’s hooting? On this episode of The Children’s Hour, we learn all about owls!  More than 200 species of owls live around the world. Maybe you have had the experience like some of our Kids Crew, of seeing owls in the wild? If you want to learn more about these interesting creatures, this episode is for you!

This time on The Children’s Hour, our Kids Crew explores the ancient rock carvings known as petroglyphs. We visit Mesa Prieta in northern New Mexico and talk with archaeologists and educators who help protect over 60,000 carvings. Then we meet a Pueblo preservation officer and a national park ranger who explain why these images are still so important today. This episode is a journey into the past that helps us better understand the present.

Just in time for Father’s Day on June 15, 2025, this episode of The Children’s Hour is For Dad. We celebrate with the EGOT winning artist John Legend whose latest musical release is all about fatherhood, kids, and the love of childhood. Dads play a unique and special role in children’s lives, and we honor them through music and poetry. Happy Father's Day from The Children's Hour!

This time on The Children's Hour we learn how everyone can contribute to active scientific research by participating in Community Science with groups like BEMP: the Bosque Ecosystem Monitoring Program. This episode comes with a free Learn-Along Guide!

Get ready to celebrate the end of the school year with The Children’s Hour! This week, we honor teachers, cheer for graduates, and dive into hilarious and heartfelt stories about finishing school. Plus, we share songs about summer adventures and new beginnings. Join us for a joyful goodbye to another great year!

It’s the season for sleeping outside under the stars, and The Children’s Hour kids learn more about how to avoid bears, stay safe in bad weather, and be prepared for campfires and camping from our friends Jordan Stone and Naina Panthaki at Cottonwood Gulch, and meteorologist Kerry Jones.

Why do animals travel long distances every year? On this episode of The Children’s Hour, we learn all about migration—how it works, why it happens, and which creatures migrate the farthest. From the skies to the seas, we’ll explore the incredible journeys that animals take in search of food, warmth, and safety.

This show is for mom! It’s a celebration of mothers from Children’s Hour listeners and our kids crew. We’ll also learn the history of Mother’s Day, beginning 1872 when Julia Ward Howe made the first Mother’s Day Proclamation. Plus we find out about bird moms, and hear great music honoring motherhood.

We take a step back in time, to over 80 years ago to World War II, one of the biggest conflicts in human history, which changed modern humanity forever. Learn from Ms. Teresa Rand Bridges' bilingual 5th grade class at Alvarado Elementary, a public school in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

This time on The Children's Hour, we learn about frogs and toads, with Senior Zoologist of the ABQ Biopark Zoo's Amphibians and Reptiles, Josh Butler. We have a lot of questions about these ancient creatures. We also hear from the kids in the Extinction Diaries who have a warning about the shrinking populations of frogs.

In this episode of The Children's Hour, we dig into the world of roots—how they feed plants, connect trees, and even store carbon to help our planet. Artist and educator Jane Westbrook shares her passion for roots, while Robin Wall Kimmerer and Monique Gray Smith introduce us to Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults, a book about Indigenous knowledge, science, and our relationship with nature. Through stories, music, and conversation, we learn how roots keep the Earth strong and how we can care for the plants that sustain us.

Our minds help us understand, learn, and express ourselves. But not everyone thinks the same way! In this episode of The Children's Hour, we explore different kinds of minds, including neurodivergent thinkers, emotional intelligence, and artificial intelligence.

Creativity comes in many forms, and on this episode of The Children's Hour, we celebrate the artists, authors, musicians, and performers who create their own way. We meet Albuquerque street artist Maewyn Padilla, hear from legendary actor William Shatner, and chat with bestselling author Dan Gutman and young actress Celestina Harris about their creative journeys. Plus, we premiere A Balloon’s Breath, a symphony for strings composed by 12-year-old Evan Daitz, inspired by the sound of hot air balloons. Join us as we explore the power of imagination and self-expression!

What is justice, and how do courts make sure laws are fair? In this episode of The Children’s Hour, the Kids Crew talks with Maria Martinez-Sanchez from ACLU New Mexico to learn how the judicial system works, from local courts to the Supreme Court. We also explore tribal justice systems with Chief Justice Rosanna Toya, who explains how Native American nations have their own courts and laws. Join us as we discover how justice is served in different ways across the United States.

Learn all about sloths with author Georgeanne Irvine from the San Diego Zoo, and biologist Sam Trull from the Sloth Institute in Manuel Antonio Costa Rica. Find out how we can all help protect sloths. This episode comes with a digital Learn Along guide that meets and cites US national education standards.

This time on The Children's Hour we visit with the bilingual, Grammy winning duo, Lucky Diaz and Alisha Gaddis from the Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band.

Learn about fossils in a Kids Crew field trip to a secret fossil quarry in the mountains outside of Albuquerque, as well as in a chat with New Mexico Natural History Museum educator Mike Sanchez. Will we become fossilized too? Fossils teach us about the Ice Age and climate change at the La Brea Tar pits in the heart of Los Angeles. This episode comes with a Learn-Along guide and is mixed with great music.

Dr. Seuss' stories have delighted readers for generations with their fun rhymes and memorable characters. In this episode, we learn about his life, creative process, and the impact of his books. Tune in to discover the magic behind one of the greatest children's authors of all time!

Why do we spend so much of our lives sleeping? Is anything happening in our brains while we sleep? Do animals sleep the same way we do? On this episode of The Children's Hour, we explore the science of sleep with expert guests and our Kids Crew.

This time on The Children's Hour, we celebrate the First Lady of children's music, Ella Jenkins, who died in November 2024 at the age of 100. Learn about her extraordinary life and how she created a whole new genre of music for kids and families.

We explore Black History through stories from Dr. Marsha Hardeman, Professor of Africana Studies at the University of New Mexico.

Take flight with the magnificent and mighty eagle on a field trip to the Zuni Eagle Sanctuary with Lucasti and Caibiya, and the Kids Crew meet Dr. Brian Millsap, a biologist who has spent his life studying eagles. Learn with us!